The Miami Heat are less feared and more loved than ever before.
This is not a coincidence.
Consider the events of Jan. 29. When Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder strolled into American Airlines Arena and, after falling behind by 18 points in the first quarter, coasted by LeBron James’ Heat 112-95, there was something missing: vitriol.
(Also missing was any kind of transition offense, but I digress.)
This is unusual. The perceived contrast between the Thunder and the Heat—glamor vs. reserve, homegrown vs. imported, LeBron vs. Durant—has always inspired a special flavor of snark from the Internet "pundits."
That night? The silence was deafening.
The subtle shift in public sentiment is reflected in other (completely scientific) measures. In 2011, SBNation published an article titled "100 Reasons to Hate the Miami Heat." In 2012, it gave us “25 Reasons to (Still) Hate Miami.”
By 2013, Business Insider could only find six.
Win or lose, people simply don’t dump on the Heat like they used to. This strange evolution, like all e ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Tom Sunnergren
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